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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Twas a very sad discovery to finally read this Christmas-themed romcom and find out that it was quite meh. Normally I love a romance story that spans many years, but this could have easily been summed up in less than one year, maybe two. It was so frustrating! I also love a second chance romance, friends-to-lovers storyline; however, this one fell flat for me because I never particularly felt much chemistry between our two inevitable lovers. All in all, every relationship in the book was rather dull.
Also, our MMC wasn’t especially charming or redeeming? It was hard to root for them getting together after reading all this build up of how he treated the other women in his life. Idk.
The writing was good and I liked the setting for the most part, I just really wish the characters were more developed and the plot lines more exciting and thought-provoking.
Also, our MMC wasn’t especially charming or redeeming? It was hard to root for them getting together after reading all this build up of how he treated the other women in his life. Idk.
The writing was good and I liked the setting for the most part, I just really wish the characters were more developed and the plot lines more exciting and thought-provoking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Cursing, Infertility, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
jenna36's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I don't quite know what to rate this book. I really enjoyed aspects of it, and there is a kind of melancholy joy that radiates from Josie Silver's writing that hits me in the right spots emotionally. I love One Night on the Island, but I don't think I loved this one as much. Both Laurie and Jack were kind of despicable people, but I still liked reading about Laurie. She seemed to actually grow over the course of the book. Jack just seemed to get more and more insufferable and then the book ended. I think that Jack started off as a really good character; he was flawed, but he was still relatable and I understood what Laurie and Sarah saw in him. Then after his dj career took off he got more insufferable with each year that passed. Who he actually was on the inside did not match up with the image that Laurie had of him. I think Laurie had the opposite pattern of growth, where we see her at her most despicable in the beginning, but she makes an effort to grow and be better. I think by the end she has actually finally grown past Jack, but they are still thrown together in the end for the HEA. I honestly would have rather they stayed apart and moved on with their lives and became better people independently. It had the same feeling as the HIMYM finale, wherein Ted and Robin had obviously grown past their feelings for each other, but were forced together for a tired plot point that had been decided years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Sexism
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